A curious Chinese villager's dig has led to the discovery of tombs, believed to be more than 1,200 years old and dating back to the powerful Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Jinqiang, from Zhengkou Village, Huanghua City in north China's Hebei Province noticed black bricks in a drainage canal to the east of the village after heavy rain washed away their covering of earth last week.
Jinqiang realised the bricks were different to those used nowadays in the area, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He took a shovel and dug nearby, finding a green-glazed bowl and a broken jar.
Archaeologists then started excavating the site and have already found two small burial chambers.
They expect to find a whole cluster of tombs that should provide useful evidence of historic local customs, said Zhang Baogang, curator of Huanghua's museum.
"The bricks, bowl and jar indicate the tombs may date back to the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD)," said Zhang.
The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui dynasty. It was founded by the Li family, which seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire.
The Tang dynasty is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilisation.
